The Whole is Greater
by A Hopeless Romantic
Summary: ... Than the Sum of It's Parts. An exploration of the relationship between Riley, Maya, Farkle and Lucas. OT4 fic or group fic if you prefer. "It catches them all by surprise, just at different moments in their lives."


**So this is some type of experiment writing an OT4/ group fic. It's the first one of it's kind that I have hazarded to write and I confess I'm not sure how it turned out. I need you guys to let me know. I'll admit, the writing style kind of formed on its own and I'm interested in seeing what people think.**

It catches them all by surprise, just at different moments in their lives. They never fully grasp the idea at first, it's just a thought that grazes their waking minds as they are laughing, grinning, playing, smiling. It's usually a thought like, "This is nice" or "I'm glad I am here" or "These are my friends; I love my friends" but when they go home to quiet empty rooms the thought solidifies into "I have never been happier then when I am with them." 

As they grow up the interpretation of happiness changes with age, but it is never bigger and brighter and shinier and just plain 'more' then when all four of them are together. Yes, they find small doses of it when two or three of them are sitting around chatting; and yes, there are glimmers of it whenever two of them sneak off to a corner to whisper and giggle, but it is never bigger and brighter and shinier and just plain 'more' then when all four of them are together – sitting in the corner table at Topanga's, lying on the floor of the library looking at the ceiling, crowded around the couch attempting to watch a movie at the Matthew's apartment or trash-talking each other while playing video games at Farkle's. All that matters is that they are together. 

Lucas figures it out last. He's the rookie of the group, after all, even though he's technically the oldest amongst them. Also his traditional Texan outlook on life has trouble understanding this kind of dynamic that seems to effortlessly flow between them. Over time, however, he realizes that Maya smiles brightest when Riley is near, Riley dances around when Farkle's watching, and Farkle dreams less of world domination when he sits by Maya. Lucas notices that these reactions are important to him, because they are important to his friends. Slowly, Maya smiles brightly when he is the one who's near. Riley dances around when he is watching her glide across the room. Farkle speaks more of his family and less of ruling when he is the one listening. Somehow, Lucas became firmly integrated in this mad, little group and can never escape. He doesn't think he will ever want to. 

Farkle is the third to see it. He would have gotten there sooner, but that big brain of his keeps trying to make sense of the situation. Somewhere in between the blur of years that is Elementary school and Middle school an epiphany strikes. Maybe he's not in love with Riley and Maya because of their shiny hair and pretty eyes. Maybe he doesn't want them due to some twisted fantasy to control and rule the world. Maybe he really like Riley's compassion and Maya's fearlessness. Maybe he loves Riley when she smiles at him. Maybe he loves Maya when she cries in that rare moment. Maybe he loves them when the two of them are sitting side by side, like light and dark, comparing and contrasting and melding into this warm pool of happiness in his stomach. Lucas joins in seventh grade and Farkle worries everything will change. But instead of losing a piece, he gain one he never realized was missing and his head fails to understand it. Eventually he realizes that this is a matter of the heart and not the head. He finally stops thinking and just accepts what his heart tells him. He has never regretted it. 

Maya is the second to understand whats happening. It still takes her time because the concept of love and affection and happiness are difficult for her. She understands fathers abandoning their families, absentee mothers failing to show up for their child and learning not to hold on to hope because it only winds up wasting you twenty minutes of crying when it gets dashed. And really, who has twenty minutes for that? So it takes her a while to understand that Riley is not going to abandon her at the bus stop; that she will always show up for her at silly things like art shows and summer school make up programs and extra math classes; that she will hold on to hope for both her and Maya, and the whole class, and the whole school, and the whole world, and even a stupid little planet-that's-not-even-a-planet-anymore. So when Maya is over at the Matthew's apartment one day she realizes that she does indeed understand love and affection and happiness. Because Riley showed her. And later, in Elementary school, Farkle shows her. And later, in Middle school, Lucas shows her too. These three people show her love and affection and happiness in completely different yet completely similar ways. So she grabs Riley's hand, tosses her arm around Farkle's neck and grins up at Lucas ready to charge forward into all that Life is. She never looks back. 

Riley becomes aware of it first. Her parents have always told to be kind and compassionate so when she strolls into her first grade class and walks towards the blonde with messy pigtails sitting in the corner, shes being kind and compassionate. And making a best friend. A few weeks later she smiles at the weird kid with a bowl cut and funny name that everyone laughs at. As soon as he reaches out her hand to him part of her instinctively knows that this is a big moment. As the three of them play some silly game that first graders always play, little Riley becomes aware of what this is. She's grown up watching it after all. She's seen it with her mom and dad and uncle Shawn. She's noticed how Cory, Topanga and Shawn crowd around the couch or sit at the table just talking or drinking tea or laughing for hours at a time. She's heard her mother breathe and Shawn snore and her father 'yip-yip-yip-yip' in synchronized rhythm. She's watched Shawn and Cory hug, and Shawn and Topanga smile, and Cory and Topanga kiss; all with that same look in their eyes. They're complete when they're together. So Riley is aware of what this is. She feels almost complete and yet, still incomplete. Over time she sees the others recognize it too. It's a fundamental problem that isn't fixed until seventh grade when Lucas Friar walks into her father's History class and she becomes aware of it again. She is aware that this time its different. This time she feels complete, fixed, whole. In time the others become aware of it too. She's been waiting for this.

 **You know, this wasn't even supposed to be this long a fic, but as I typed, each paragraph became progressively longer. I may have more of it mulling around my head. Possible chapters for each of the group. Shoot me a review and let me know what you think and if I should do more.**


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